Pump packing



Patented Nov. 3, 1925. I

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

'WALTER A. OBANNON, OF TLSA, OKLAHOMA.

. PUMP PACKING.

`Application med September 22, 1924. Serial vNo. 739,052.

has an important utilization in connectionI with packing for pumps for use in oil or other deep wells. In this type of pum 'the plunger usually remains stationary whi e an outer cylinder or traveling barrel is reciprocally moved during operation of the piunp. This application covers improvements on my Patent No. 1,454,400, issued May 8, 1923. In the operation of such pumps the normal wear of the packing sometimes prevents the pump Jfrom priming in case the valves are not entirely surrounded by the li uid.

This necessitates the fre uent lifting vo the' pump from the bottom o a deep well t9 repair the same with the resultant expenditure and loss of time entailed thereby and it is one object of theA invention to provide va packin which enables the pump to prime regard ess of whether the valves are com 3Q petely submerged in the liquid or not.

The crude oil as it ispumped from the wells inv most cases has a considerable amount of grit suspended therein. In the intervals when the pump is not in operation.

the gritv which is in suspension in the oil standing in the pump above the packing will' settle'on the packing with valve construction as heretofore provided. When the pumping operation is resumed this grit 40 works its way between thev packing and the cylinder and causes rapid abrasion o f the packing. Another object of the invention i/s to provide a device which preventsgrit from settling on the packing either vduring or between umpin operations and thereby avoids t e rapi abrasion and wearing away ofthe packing which otherwise results when the pumping operation is resumed after the pump has been idle. t A further object is to generally improve dee well pumps and the packing therein. ther further and more specific objects will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing :1

Fig. 1 is a vertical view p artially in section of a portion of a deep well pump, showing the traveling barrel or cylinder and the associated plungerequipped with the improved packing and devices of this invenion;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on a larger scale than that of Fig. 1, showing the packing and the preferred-embodiment of the device for preventing sediment from gathering on the packing, and,

Fig. 3 is a view similar to and on the same scale as Fig. 2, showing an alternative .embodiment of a device for preventing grit from settling on the packing.

Similar numerals refer to similar throughout the several views.

The reciprocating barrel 10, the stationary l plunger, generally indicated by the numeral 11, andthe soft-packing 12 are substantially identical with and performthe same functions as the corresponding 'elements in the above mentioned lpatent. The liquid is forced up'- through the plunger 11 bythe reciprocation of the barrel. The packing 12 fits closely between the barrel 'and the plunger. so that fluids cannot escape between.

vthe plunger and the barrel.

- The plunger comprises an upper cylindrical member 13, preferably connected toa correspondinglower cylindrical member 14, by a sleeve 15, against` which one end of a compression spring 16 presses. drical plunger can be made in one section instead of two, as shown, in which case a The -cylinv shoulderintegrally formed on the plunger would be provided as 1a bearingv for the spring. The cylinder is made'in two sections, as shown, for easy assembling of the inverted cups 17 ,and the rings or collars 18 and 19, which are mountedon the member 13, between the packing 12 and the s ri 16.' The cups17 are preferabl ma e o leather or fibrousA material; A ead 20 is mounted on the u per end ofthe plunger so as to fit closely tlie inner periphery of the barrel-10. The lower end of the head 2O and the u per end of the collar 19 are each hollowe out adjacent their innerperiphery to form concave-shaped seats into which the .packing 12 is wedged by the pressure from the spring 16, thereby making Huid-tight' connections between the plunger and the this eccentric application of'the'pressure on the 'ends of the packing 12:, the intermediate sections of the packing are thrust outwardly so as to bear against the barrelV and make a Huid-tight connection between the barrel 10 and the packing. Y

The collars or rings 18 are provided with shoulders which permit liquid to enter the inverted cups 17 whereby the cups are maintained in close contact with the barrel by hydraulic pressure. leT-hewear on the eXterior of the cups is thus compensated for and the cups in connection with the packing 12,

prov-idev a device which is self-priming under any condition of operation to which such pumps are subjected.

` The collars or rings 18 and'19, the inverted cups 17, and the packing12-are in square contact only on an annular surface adjacent the plunger. rlhe spring and hydraulic pressure are thereby carried into' the pack- "ing 12 eccentrically as above .-mentioned.'

The collars 18 by reason of their shoulders, performjthe dual function of contributing lto the wedging the cups 17 against the barp .rel 10 by hydraulic' pressure, and by eccentric application of the spring pressure to the packing'12, aid,in the pressure of the ends of the packing 12 against the plunger 11, and the intermediate sections of the packing against the barrel 10.

Thehead 20 is generally cylindrical in I shape and has its inner periphery bevelled outwardly with its upper edge relatively thin and tapering as shown. By this arrangement-no horizontal surface is presented on which grit can settle from the liquid column above, when the pump is not operating, and Athe possibility of grit .working between the headl 20 and the barrel 10, to the packing 12 v is minimized. Such sediment4 as may occur will be washed oilz'by the upward flow of liquid when pumping operations are resumed.

An alternative'device for preventing settlement of grit onto the packing 12 isshown in Fig. 3, Where the head 2O isreplaced by a sleeve 21, a cup. 22, .and a plug 23.- The endsofthe sleeve 21 tcloselyinside the barrel 10. 'The middle .portion of the sleeve .is flattened for .engagementfbyia wrench' for4 threading ontothe member `13. The lower end of the sleeve 21 isv concaved for wedging engagement with the packing 12, similar to that of the head 20. The cup 22.,

.which closely` fits the member 13, is positioned between the .sleeve 21 and the plug 23,

and has` its 'upper end' bevelled to slopel downwardly towards the plug 23. The plug 23 is threaded onto the member 13 into contact with, cup 22. A plurality of apertures 24 and 25 are provided in the" plug to permit the liquid to flow upwardly there-` through during the These apertures slope outwardly and upwardly and are positioned so that grit suspended in the liquidcolumn above the plug does not enter the plug. The lowermost ot the apertures 25 are. positioned adjacent 'the bevelled top of the cup 22 in order that ilow of liquid will remove any grit that may have settled on the top of the cup. The slope of theapertures 24 and 25 and of the top of the cup 21 is such as to cause the outgoing fluid to scour out any dirt or grit. The close tit between thebarrel 10 andthe -sleeve 21 and the cup 22 respectively, effectively prevents grit from reaching the packlng 12:

Thus it will be seen that l have provided a device that delivers pressure onto the soft Aamount of grit whichl settles the packing during a cessation of pumping and which vis so constructed that upwardy How of liquid scours oil the grit and dirt whichV may have settled when the pump is not operating.`

' I claim:

- 11. ln a device of the class described, a* movable reciprocating barrel, a stationary plunger, and means adapted to form a fluidtight joint between the barrel Aand plunger, comprising an element lixedlymounted on the plunger, expansible packing below said Aelement, a plurality of collars slidably mounted on the plunger below said packing and having inverted cups between said collars fitting-the inner-periphery of the barrel, said collars and cups being in direct contact adjacent .the plunger, and a compression spring suitably mounted to engage the lower of said collars whereby said packing is compressed by the spring and the hydraulic pressure from the cups.

2. In a device of. the lclass described, a

-mova-ble reciprocatin .barrel,"a stationary and cups being indirect 'contact'v adjacent pumping process.

the lun er, the u er end of the up er of saidpcollrs and tlibp lower end of salpd 4 element'being bevelled adjacent the-plunger to form upwardly and downwardly converging. recesses, respectively, into which the packing 4is compressed and held by'the spring pressure and the hydraulic pressure applied to the cups.

' 3. In a device of the class described, a movable reciprocatingl barrel, a stationary plunger having an upper end portion within said barrel and in spaced relation thereto, an expansible packing between the plunger and barrel, and a cylindrical head member mounted on the upper end of' the plunger and closely fitting the inner periphery of said barrel, said head member having its upper end bevelled downwardlyand inwardly from its outer eriphery whereby upward flow of liquidY rom the plunger scours the-upper end of said head member.

4. In a device-'0f the dass described, a'

movable reciprocating barrel, a stationary' plunger having anA upper end portion within said barrel and in spaced relation thereto,an expansible packing between the plunger and barrel, and a cylindrical head member mounted on the upper end of the plunger and closely fitting the inner periphery of said barrel, said head memberhaving its.

upper end bvelled.v downwardly and -inwardly from its outer periphery whereby upp and upwardly adjacent the bevelled portion of said head member.

Signed at Tulsa, Oklahoma, `this 16th day of September, 1924.

WALTER'A. OBANNON. 

